


A Slow Healing

by hulklinging



Category: Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, Past Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 12:58:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8144891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hulklinging/pseuds/hulklinging
Summary: David finds out an old friend has died. Tommy helps him through it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Content Warning: The minor character death is a character from David's original team. It is a canonical death (although with Marvel, who knows if it will stick), and it doesn't really go into detail about the death.

Now, Tommy does tend to chatter.

He likes to talk. That’s no surprise to anyone.

What might come as a surprise is that he does listen, too. To the people he likes, at least.

And Tommy really does like David.

So when his boyfriend goes quiet, he notices.

Suddenly his literal genius of a partner is speaking in the smallest words he can. Short, broken up sentences. He won’t meet Tommy’s eye. He almost looks like he’s caving in on himself.

It bothers Tommy in a way that is almost physical. Like an itch he can’t scratch, sitting just under the skin. It’s like one of those trick pictures, those ‘can you see the problem’ ones that you stare at until your eyes blur, trying to figure out what about it makes you so uncomfortable.

He hardly lasts three days before he breaks. He wants to give David his space, he does, but Tommy Shepherd is not known for his patience.

“David.”

The boy hardly even reacts. He’s sitting at his desk in front of his computer, but he hasn’t moved in ten minutes. His eyes give him away, glazed over like he’s a thousand miles away.

“David, hey.”

A grunt of acknowledgement. From a guy who can speak more languages than Tommy can name.

He kneels down next to David’s chair, puts a hand on either side of him and twists the chair so they’re facing each other.

“David.” He tries to use his firm tone, hiding the worry under something unyielding. “Please talk to me.”

He watches as David’s eyes struggle to meet his own. It takes a moment before recognition dawns in them, like he wasn’t quite sure who Tommy was, for a second there.

“Sorry.” He crumples as Tommy watches, folding in on himself, head in his hands. “Sorry. I just found out one of my old classmates died.” His voice takes on a wry sort of humour that is anything but funny. It makes Tommy’s chest ache. “You think I’d be used to this by now.”

He tentatively moves one of his hands from the chair arm to David’s knee. “Do you wanna… talk about him?”

“He was a healer.” A scoff that might be trying to disguise a hitch in his breath. “He was such an ass, when I met him. He was my roommate. Couldn’t stand the guy. At first. We sorted it out, eventually.”

Tommy is good at talking, but every once in a while, he’s good at listening too. When it matters. And this matters. He can’t remember ever seeing David this wrecked by his own emotions. It leaves him shaken, clutching at David’s knee in some mix of stability and comfort.

“Did I ever tell you about the time we went to Hell? Literal Hell. This isn’t a metaphor. And a demon ripped my heart out of my chest. I think it was to prove a point…” David’s far away again. “And Josh, he grabbed me, remade it, had it back inside me before my body had even gone cold. We lost so many people… I thought it would stop. But it never really does, does it?” David’s hand finds Tommy’s. He’s shivering, even though it’s warm in their little apartment. “Not for people like us. We just keep dying.”

“Hey. Hey, listen to me, okay?” Tommy squeezes David’s hand with everything he’s got. “We’re still here. We’re doing just fine.”

“For now.” David’s crying for real now, although his voice is calmer than it was. Tight like he won’t let go, even as tears stream down his cheeks. “We’re okay for now. Josh could rebuild a heart. He couldn’t get hurt if he wanted to. If he can die, anyone can.”

And Tommy doesn’t know how to argue with that, so he just takes his spare hand to David’s face, trying to wipe away his tears. David’s eyes flutter close as he leans in to the touch, and Tommy wishes he could do more. Help, somehow. Do something.

“I’m not easy to get rid of,” he whispers, like a promise he’s not sure he can keep. David smiles, soft and sad, because he can hear the uncertainty in Tommy’s voice.

“Neither was he.” He doesn’t say that no one can make promises like that, especially not in this line of work. An ex-mutant and a lost soul, trying their best to save the world. It’s all probably a lost battle from the start.

But Tommy’s spent his life betting on the underdogs. He’s not about to stop now. He can’t. He’s not sure how to put words to that sentiment, or to the fierce protectiveness welling up in his lungs, so he just leans forward and presses his lips to David’s jaw, and the pulse point underneath the skin there. It will have to do.

David relaxes against him, and takes in a big, unsteady breath.

“I’ll be okay, Tommy, really. I just need… time. I just need a bit of time.”

That’s something Tommy can give him. He pulls away long enough to fish the phone out of his pocket. He turns it off and tosses it behind him, not caring where it lands. He’s got it set to blast an alarm if any disaster starts trending. But there’s enough superheroes out there right now. They can take some time. David deserves the chance to mourn.

David doesn’t even try to protest, which shows how badly he needs this reprieve. He pulls Tommy back down for a kiss, and Tommy lets himself be pulled, wraps his arms tight around him, the only protection he can offer him. It will have to do. He’ll make it do.

Neither of them are going anywhere anytime soon.


End file.
